Mounties Cleared In Fatal Langley Shooting

B.C.'s police complaints commissioner has cleared three Mounties involved in the fatal shooting of a Langley man of any wrongdoing.

Officers went to the townhouse of Alvin Wright, 22, in August 2010 after his common-law wife called 911 in the midst of a domestic dispute.

In a written statement released Wednesday, B.C.'s police complaints commissioner said the incident began with a night out with friends, "and ended in tragedy following the consumption of alcohol and a heated argument" between the couple.

The statement says Wright confronted the officers with a hunting knife and hatchet, and was shot after he approached an officer with the knife raised.

The investigation indicates the incident unfolded in just under two minutes.

"Having carefully reviewed the available evidence, commissioner Stan Lowe has determined that the officers were lawfully engaged in the course of their duties, and that their actions were reasonable and necessary in all of the circumstances," the statement said.

"Lowe has concluded there is not a reasonable basis to consider that the conduct of any of the three Langley RCMP officers involved in this tragedy constituted an offence under any federal or provincial legislation."

A 2011 Vancouver police investigation into the incident cleared the officer who shot and killed Wright.

Wright's family, however, has criticized the police response. Wright's widow and the mother of his child is suing the Langley RCMP over his death.